In-band trick mode control

Abstract

A server may receive metadata associated with specific content in a transport signal stream from a content information service. The metadata may identify a point in time of the transport signal stream. The server may instruct an encoder to insert a marker into the transport signal stream corresponding to the point in time of the transport signal stream. The marker may indicate control of a trick mode to be enforced by a delivery platform subsequent to the point in time of the transport signal stream. The server may record the marker in a data store associated with the server.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method implemented by one or more computing devices, comprising:
 receiving metadata associated with specific content in a transport signal stream from a content information service, the metadata identifying a point in time of the transport signal stream; and 
 instructing an encoder to insert a marker into the transport signal stream corresponding to the point in time of the transport signal stream, the marker indicating control of a trick mode to be enforced by a delivery platform subsequent to the point in time of the transport signal stream during play by the delivery platform of the transport signal stream, the transport signal stream having a frame rate and resolution. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the marker comprises instructions to enforce one or more trick mode settings in the delivery platform. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the instructions comprise information regarding at least one of enabling or disabling the trick mode, the type of trick mode, time point offsets, content duration, or the duration of time that the trick mode is to be enabled or disabled. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, from the delivery platform, an indication that the delivery platform has encountered the marker at the point in time of the transport signal stream. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein the indication comprises the marker. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the marker is operable to instruct the delivery platform to send a request for one or more instructions to enforce one or more trick mode settings associated with the marker. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, from the delivery platform, a request for one or more instructions to enforce one or more trick mode settings associated with the marker. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 providing, to the delivery platform, the one or more instructions to enforce the one or more trick mode settings associated with the marker. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, receiving, from an advertisement decision service or a placement opportunity information service, trick mode restriction metadata regarding one or more trick mode settings corresponding to the trick mode to be enforced by a delivery platform subsequent to the point in time of the transport signal stream for the specific content. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more trick mode settings comprises information regarding at least one of enabling or disabling the trick mode, the type of trick mode, time point offsets, content duration, or the duration of time that the trick mode is to be enabled or disabled. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the trick mode restriction metadata comprises a universally unique identifier (UUID) associated with the marker, and one or more uniform resource locators associated with the marker. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 recording the marker in a data store; 
 associating the one or more trick mode settings with the marker; and 
 storing the associated one or more trick mode settings in the data store. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving, from the delivery platform, an indication that the delivery platform has encountered the marker. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 retrieving, from a data store, one or more trick mode settings associated with the marker. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 transmitting, to the delivery platform, the one or more trick mode settings associated with the marker. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the indication comprises a universal resource locator (URL). 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , wherein the URL comprises at least one of a unique identifier indicative of the identified point in time of the content, one or more trick mode control settings, or an endpoint location for the delivery platform to make a network request in order to receive trick mode instructions. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving, from the data platform, an indication that a consumer used an enabled trick mode or tried to use a disabled trick mode subsequent to the point of the transport signal stream. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the specific content is ad creative content, entertainment content, or both ad creative content and entertainment content. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the marker comprises an ID3 tag. 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 20 , wherein the ID3 tag comprises a unique identifier indicative of the identified point in time of the content and the one or more trick mode settings. 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 21 , wherein the unique identifier is a universal unique identifier (UUID). 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 20 , further comprising inserting the ID3 tag into a data track or a fundamental track of the transport signal stream. 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising instructing the encoder to insert the marker into one or more specified frames of the transport signal stream on a per frame, per segment, per sub-segment, or per plurality of segments basis. 
     
     
       25. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising instructing the encoder to insert different markers into corresponding frames in the transport signal stream corresponding to different points in time of the transport signal stream. 
     
     
       26. A method comprising:
 receiving metadata associated with specific content in a transport signal stream, the metadata identifying a point in time of the transport signal stream; and 
 instructing an encoder to insert a marker into the transport signal stream corresponding to the point in time of the transport signal stream, the marker indicating control of a trick mode to be enforced subsequent to the point in time of the transport signal stream during play by the delivery platform of the transport signal stream, the transport signal stream having a frame rate and resolution. 
 
     
     
       27. The method of  claim 26 , further comprising:
 receiving trick mode restriction metadata regarding one or more trick mode settings corresponding to the trick mode to be enforced subsequent to the point in time of the transport signal stream for the specific content. 
 
     
     
       28. The method of  claim 26 , further comprising recording the marker in a data store. 
     
     
       29. A method implemented by one or more computing devices, comprising:
 receiving metadata associated with specific content in a transport signal stream, the metadata identifying a point in the transport signal stream; and 
 instructing an encoder to insert a marker into the transport signal stream corresponding to the point in the transport signal stream, the marker indicating control of a trick mode to be enforced relative to the point in the transport signal stream during play by the delivery platform of the transport signal stream, the transport signal stream having a frame rate and resolution. 
 
     
     
       30. The method of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 receiving trick mode restriction metadata regarding one or more trick mode settings corresponding to the trick mode to be enforced subsequent to the point in the transport signal stream for the specific content.